


Duty & Devotion

by Aegwynn



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft (Comics), World of Warcraft - Various Authors
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:41:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23073400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aegwynn/pseuds/Aegwynn
Summary: Warcraft AU. For the good of his kingdom, King Anduin Wrynn must wed the newly-ascended Wrathion, Emperor of Blackrock. Struggling to hold together two kingdoms ravaged by war, they tell themselves this union is purely practical… until it becomes something more.
Relationships: Wrathion & Anduin Wrynn, Wrathion/Anduin Wrynn
Comments: 9
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

**To His Majesty Anduin Llane Wrynn, Blessed by the Light, High King of Stormwind,**

I extend to you my warmest greetings. As this is the first occasion on which I have the honour to address your Majesty, it is my ardent hope that these words will meet with a favourable reception.

I have not all this time touched on our affairs from motives of great discretion, but a time of great change draws nigh and I cannot help but impress upon your Majesty the necessity of opening a line of communication between our two Kingdoms.

You will, I hope, forgive this freedom, which is prompted by great anxiety for the preservation of peace. I shall therefore limit myself to my expressions of very sincere wishes for the welfare and prosperity of our two Kingdoms.

The provinces which form your Kingdom have long been objects of importance to me; that Stormwind has made great sacrifices to hold its borders and maintain its prosperity has, without doubt, in part secured my own Kingdom’s future. I confess that your wise system of government has influenced me greatly; your Kingdom has flourished in many ways, and now much of the Eastern Kingdoms are indebted to you for the preservation of general peace.

It is as a benefactor of this peace, however direct or indirect, that I entreat you now to consider the looming threat at your borders; a menace endangering not only your Kingdom, but mine as well, and indeed all of Azeroth, if certain whispers are to be believed. It is my intention, therefore, to propose an alliance of a particular sort; though in truth I am desirous of a connection more intimate than the alliances forged through treaties and accords.

I have spoken thus openly because I wish your Majesty be aware of the prospect of a future less than prosperous for our Kingdoms; and it is my intention to now preserve what prosperity I can.

It is certain when I ascended the throne of Blackrock that my empire was the one from which the occasion of a general war was much to be feared; but now, with the prospect of such a happy circumstance binding Blackrock to Stormwind, it could become a link to ensure the continuance of peace. It is my desire to use what influence I have to work to maintain this peace and dissipate any animosity or bitterness fostered through regretful circumstances long past.

In this way you will, I trust, comprehend my meaning. In the spirit of goodwill, I have dispatched this Envoy to Stormwind in the hope that he may acquaint you with my view in greater detail. I pray your Majesty forgive me if I express to you my earnest hope that these expectations may not be disappointed.

I remain,

Ever yours, most sincerely,

WRATHION

_Emperor, the Uncorrupted, Last of the Black Flight, Lord of Blackrock and of the Burning Steppes_


	2. Anduin

“He’s serious.”

It wasn’t a question. King Anduin Wrynn stared down at the letter before him, a slight frown playing on his lips as his eyes traced the elegant lines of the Emperor’s script. The letters were inked with a precision and flare that betrayed a certain arrogance, and Anduin supposed that accounted for the boldness with which the Emperor stated his intent. He didn’t appreciate it; to speak so plainly of a subject that was usually the result of serious reflection already told him more about the Emperor than he wished to know.

“Yes, your Majesty,” replied the Blacktalon Envoy. Anduin shifted his gaze to the tall, willowy figure standing before him. He was handsome in the way that all elves were handsome, and Anduin lamented the careless grace and beauty that the entire race seemed to possess. That was clearly why the Emperor had selected this Envoy to convey his message to Stormwind; human sensibilities were rumoured to be favourably disposed towards beautiful things.

At least, that is what dragons seemed to believe – the Emperor included.

How quaint.

“The Emperor assumes much,” Anduin said, setting the letter aside to focus his attention on the Envoy. “I wonder what more he wishes to share, as he has already stated his intent so clearly.”

The Envoy smiled a flawless smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “If your Majesty wishes, it is my pleasure to expound upon the Emperor’s hope in greater detail.”  
  
 _The Emperor’s hope_. It did not seem to Anduin that the Emperor _hoped_ at all; more like _planned_ and _schemed,_ especially since he seemed to be aware that court decorum mandated the King entertain a foreign envoy for at least a week on matters pertaining to the crown.

 _Fine,_ he decided as he returned the Envoy’s smile. If the Emperor wanted to play the game, he would find the King of Stormwind a formidable opponent.

“Then let us dine this evening,” Anduin said, “and I shall endeavour to give the Emperor’s hope what consideration it deserves.”

\---

“Forgive me, sire, but you can’t mean to entertain this nonsense.”

Later, as the sun cast long shadows on the floor of the King’s study, Mathias Shaw stood before Anduin and frowned, the creases around his mouth deepening by the minute. The Spymaster had never been one to mince words, but it wasn’t his usual custom to speak so frankly. That was a testament to how distasteful he found the Emperor’s letter.

“Send the Envoy back to Blackrock on the morrow. Entertaining him any longer allows him to observe life here at court; we can’t let him gain an advantage. He’ll use it against us the moment he has the chance.”

Anduin folded his hands neatly on the tabletop, brow furrowed in contemplation. Shaw was right, of course; he usually was, if a little paranoid. Still, as Anduin stared down at the strokes and flourishes of the Emperor’s hand, a growing curiosity stirred within him.

“I share your caution,” Anduin said before pausing again. “But I also feel that the more we entertain him, the more opportunity we have to learn about the mysterious Emperor of Blackrock.” He glanced up at Shaw and met the man’s gaze. “As far as we know, this is the first time he’s initiated any sort of communication with a kingdom outside the Dragonflights. I would hate to squander it.”

Shaw barely considered it before he spoke again. “We have other ways of gleaning information,” he said. “Safer, more clandestine ways.”

“Good,” said Anduin. “Then engage them. I want whatever information your agents can find. No detail is too small.”

Shaw looked like he was going to say something but thought better of it. “I’ll have reports on your desk each morning.”

Anduin smiled, rising to his feet. “Excellent,” he said. “Then leave the interrogation to me, this time. I don’t intend to let the Envoy rest easily.”

Shaw nodded before departing, and as the door closed behind him, Anduin collapsed back into his chair and sighed. His fingers found the folds of the Emperor’s letter for what felt like the millionth time that day, but he still found himself unable to keep from reading through it again.

It was a bold proposition indeed – a “connection more intimate than the alliances forged through treaties and accords”. A marriage, to a relative stranger, no less. Anduin wasn’t sure whether he ought to commend the Emperor’s bravery or condemn his conceit.

A little bit of both, perhaps.

How would he explain this to the Privy Council? He could hear Greymane’s voice now: _You’re mad. Another black dragon? Haven’t they wreaked enough havoc on this kingdom already?_

Yet Anduin couldn’t ignore the small voice urging him to reconsider. He sighed again and let the letter fall haphazardly on to another pile of reports, and as his fingers traced the wax seal of the Emperor Wrathion, he found himself muttering a prayer to the Light to guide him true.

\---

“Good evening,” Anduin said as he strolled into his private dining room. Though it was much smaller than the formal dining hall, the room was still an impressive sight, with crystal chandeliers burning brightly overhead a fine table set before a marble fireplace. 

The Blacktalon Envoy had already been seated by the time Anduin arrived, but he had the good sense to rise to greet the king.

“Good evening, your Majesty,” he intoned. “I thank you for this invitation. I am grateful to dine with you tonight.”

Anduin felt the elf’s eyes following his every movement as he took his seat at the head of the table. Still, once the footman had poured them both a glass of wine, Anduin raised his glass and smiled. “To new alliances,” he said.

“And to His Majesty’s continued health.” The Envoy raised his glass in response, his eyes glittering over the shining crystal as he sipped his wine.

Anduin had done this dance many times before. It was going to be a long evening of performative courtesy.

They chatted idly as dinner was served, remarking upon the weather and the food, but Anduin found he could hardly keep still. Though he lifted his fork and knife with practiced grace, a million questions ran through his mind, and he watched the Envoy consume his meal feeling as though there were a buzzing lurking beneath his skin, desperate to get out. Why this? Why now? Why _him_?

He barely lasted 15 minutes before he addressed the issue directly.

“The Emperor is bold to send such a proposition by Envoy,” Anduin said, dabbing at the corner of his lips with a napkin. “Such issues are better addressed in person.”

“The Emperor is – ah – not one for tradition,” the Envoy replied. “He prefers to conduct his business in ways he deems fit, even if his methods are rather… unorthodox.”

“And flaunt courtesy, I see.”

The smile the Envoy gave to Anduin was pained as he set down his cutlery, but he maintained his composure. “In many ways, the Emperor blends the old ways with the new. Dragons often observe a different rule of politeness than the mortal races.”

“I imagine it is quite outside of tradition to wed dragon and human together,” Anduin said mildly, and he was relieved to find that his voice remained steady despite the pounding of his heart. “What motivation could the Emperor have in making such a proposition?”

“The Emperor has long admired Stormwind’s tenacity and resilience,” the Envoy replied smoothly. “By his own admission, Stormwind has contributed greatly to the wellbeing of his own empire, and he wishes to make an alliance to further secure the future of the Eastern Kingdoms.”

It was a perfectly rehearsed reply that revealed next to nothing of the Emperor’s true motives. 

Anduin pressed on. “The affairs of dragons are often separate from the fate of mortal kingdoms,” he said. “Are not alliances among the Dragonflights enough to set the Emperor at ease?”

“No other Black Dragon has allied with a mortal in this way,” the Envoy replied, “and it meant their downfall.”

“Not for lack of trying.” The words slipped out before Anduin could stop himself. He had intended to broach the subject of the Emperor’s kin with more sensitivity, but if he were honest, this was his primary concern: that this alliance was merely another attempt at what other Black Dragons had already tried – and failed – to do: gain control of this kingdom.

Anduin had been a child when Onyxia, disguised as Lady Katrana Prestor, had attempted to infiltrate his father’s court. A chill ran through him as he recalled her – beautiful and deadly, and so desperately close to ruling as Regent that it made Anduin shudder even now.

The Envoy barely blinked before he smiled coldly. “The Emperor condemns the actions of the Corrupted Ones,” he said, “and wishes you to know that he is not his kin.”

“Indeed, he is not,” said Anduin. “He made sure of that when he slaughtered them.”

The news had set the king on edge when it had reached Stormwind – that _someone_ , later confirmed to be Wrathion, was systematically hunting down the descendants of Neltharion and slaughtering them. Given Stormwind’s close proximity to Blackrock, the Seat of the Flight, both Anduin and his Privy Council had been concerned that this campaign was a war of succession, and that once Wrathion’s kin were dead, would then turn his eyes on Stormwind or Ironforge – and they would be helpless against the onslaught.

But Anduin knew that power was brokered also in alliances just as often as wars, and the Emperor’s proposition – _not_ a proposal, he reminded himself (at least, not yet) – could be a thinly veiled attempt at finishing what his kin had started.

Anduin was determined not to let his guard down.

“You will, perhaps, know that the circumstances of the Emperor’s ascension were… bloody,” said the Envoy, recalling Anduin to the present conversation. “This was necessary to secure a peace among the Dragonflights.”

 _Peace bought for the price of blood is no peace at all_ , thought Anduin. “I hardly think the Life-Binder would approve of the Emperor’s methods,” he said.

“On the contrary,” replied the Envoy. “The Life-Binder herself has given the Emperor her blessing.”

Now _that_ was something Anduin had not expected, and he coughed as he nearly choked on his wine. “He has the Life-Binder’s blessing? How?”

Alexstrasza, Queen of the Dragonflights and guardian of all life on Azeroth, would not give her blessing easily, Anduin knew; especially after Neltharion’s Cataclysm had nearly destroyed everything entrusted to her care.

“That is a subject best addressed by the Emperor himself,” replied the Envoy. “Should you wish to respond to his request, I will be happy to convey it to him.”

Of course there were some things that the Emperor would not wish his Envoy to know, but at the same time, Anduin suspected that withholding more interesting tidbits of information was intended to provoke and encourage his response.

He wasn’t interested in providing one yet, so he changed the subject. “Let us suppose that the Emperor’s proposition interests me,” he said. “What is it that he offers Stormwind in exchange for such an alliance?”

At the other end of the table, the Envoy brightened. “The Emperor offers full access to his military, including use of his Blacktalon Agents,” he said. “These alone could secure Stormwind’s borders and free the Stormwind Guard to tend to the local affairs of each province.”

It was a promising prospect, Anduin thought, especially since the wars in recent years had seriously depleted his troops and devastated the kingdom. Still, he pressed on. “A bolstered military is hardly inspiring,” he said to the Envoy, though if he were honest, the offer had lifted his spirits. “Does the Emperor offer any additional aid?”

The Envoy nodded. “In addition to military support, the Emperor proposes to open new trade routes to and from Blackrock on the way to Stormwind, Ironforge, and other places in the Eastern Kingdoms that might benefit,” he said. “Blackrock will then produce metals and related trade goods and supply them to the Kingdoms at much lower cost. This will make previously rare minerals such as elementium more abundant so Stormwind can recoup wartime losses and invest in rebuilding infrastructure.”

Free trade would benefit Stormwind immensely, Anduin had to admit; certain minerals were hard to come by, and Stormwind had very specific needs in the production of military assets like ships, war engines, and weapons.

Still, these were things a military alliance could secure, and Anduin wasn’t convinced that a marriage would offer any significant benefit. “A diplomatic alliance alone should be sufficient to procure these,” he said to the Envoy. “Why request something more?”

The Envoy paused for a moment and seemed to consider the king’s words. “A marriage would secure your Majesty’s place among the Dragonflights as a trusted representative of the mortal races,” he said finally. “Likewise, your Majesty would gain the support of the Flights to seek their counsel, request their aid, and play a part in the shaping of Azeroth’s future.”

That surprised Anduin. The Dragonflights were notoriously aloof when dealing with the mortal races, only lending their aid when their own Flights were in danger. The Aspects themselves were charged with protecting and furthering the Titans’ vision on Azeroth – and with a voice and a vision among them, Anduin marveled at the doors this would open and allow him to work more effectively for peace than he ever could as one mortal king among many.

 _Surely the Emperor must be plotting something,_ Anduin thought. _This is too good to be true._

And if something sounded too good to be true, in Anduin’s experience, it usually was.

Anduin squared his shoulders and leveled his gaze at the Envoy across from him. “And what does the Emperor ask in return?” Land; power; pawns, perhaps. Anduin was not eager to gamble his people in exchange for what could turn out to be a clever lie.

“He asks for nothing,” the Envoy said. “Only your consent.”

The king narrowed his eyes as he processed the Envoy’s response. An uncomfortable silence fell between them, and Anduin fought a mounting curiosity. What could the Emperor possibly hope to gain by offering everything, and asking nothing?

It was then that Anduin decided he would put this matter before the Privy Council in the hope that five minds could better uncover evidence of subterfuge than one could.

All he had to do was buy himself some time.

“The Emperor is generous,” he said, placing his napkin aside and rising from his chair. “Perhaps too much so.”

The Envoy scrambled to stand as Anduin turned to leave, and it pleased Anduin to see a look of desperate surprise on his face.

“Your Majesty,” he protested. “Perhaps if – ”

Anduin held up a hand to silence him. “Tomorrow, I should like to walk around the city,” he said idly. “You will accompany me. I wish to learn more about the Emperor of Blackrock as a person – his interests, his vision for the future. If you would indulge me.”

The Envoy all but sighed in relief. “Of course,” he said. “Whatever your Majesty wishes.”

Anduin smiled. “Then you will meet me in the Throne Room tomorrow at 9 o’clock. Don’t be late,” he cautioned, and then strode out of the room.

 _Light help me_ , he prayed silently as he headed for the stairs leading to his private apartments. _I never expected to actually consider this._


End file.
